About this book

Language: English

The Arunachal Pradesh Regional Centre (APRC) based at Itanagar, India, is one among the sixteen renowned Regional Centres of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) and is engaged in survey and documentation of the fauna of Arunachal Pradesh. The centre maintains Zoological Collections since the year 1984. The primary data of Pisces housed in APRC since the beginning of the Centre till February 2015 is presented here. The collections are developed as a result of efforts for faunal explorations by the departmental scientists and specimens deposited by researchers of other departments/Universities/Institutes.

As on February 2015, APRC is holding 1100 identified specimens of pisces pertaining to 144 species (including type Materials for eleven species) belonging to 76 genera, 29 families and 7 orders. Thus, APRC houses about 64% of the fishes known from Arunachal Pradesh which stands at 225 species (Sen and Khynriam, 2014). The order Cypriniformes represent the highest number of species (69 or 48%) followed by Siluriformes (42 or 28%), thereafter, Perciformes (13 or 9%) Synbranchiformes (8 or 5%), and other orders Osteoglossiformes, Anguilliformes and Beloniformes represents the least number, merely one species each. The collections are well labeled with detailed information. Bigger size fishes are preserved in 10% formalin whereas smaller ones in 5-6% formalin (preservative changed twice in a year). The type specimens are preserved in 70% ethanol for long durability.